A quick update and a couple of questions.
I took it for the MOT today. All the stuff I had sorted out passed which was nice, but she failed on two things and got an advisory that I'm not too sure how to interpret. More of that in a moment, here's she is (almost) ready for the MOT:
The first fail was a split in one of the steering rack gaiters, which was a little bit of a pain as I had done the track rod end on that side and missed it. So that's all got to come apart again. The second is a bit more serious, or at least a little more of a pain: excessive play in one of the radius arms. I don't know whether it would be a good idea to pack it with grease to get it through for now (or even if it would work), but even if I get it through, it's a job that needs doing sooner rather than later. I have to confess that all of the rubber bits have clearly seen better days and so I suspect that I will have the whole front apart and do the lot at some point in the summer.
All in all, while I'm disappointed she failed, considering the condition of the electrics and general issues from standing, I'm pretty chuffed.
So, on to the questions:
Radius arms - I know I have two possible routes here: first I can buy a reconditioned one, which I assume simply bolts in with minimal swearing or I can go for the repair kit which I suspect will involve ingenuity and profanity in equal measure.
So here are some questions if anyone would be kind enough to have a go at answering them:
Does the repair kit avoids having to strip out the suspension and brakes as the radius arm remains effectively in place? I'm mostly trying to avoid needing to pump up the hydragas, unless there is a way around having to.
Is there a best way of approaching the radius arms and if so, roughly, what is it?
Finally, the MOT tester was a bit bemused that both radius arms appeared to have pretty well identical free travel, without apparent damping, for the bottom ten degrees of travel when the Midas was jacked right up. After a bit of a conference and reading the MOT manual they decided that it was ok but gave an advisory just in case. I have no idea if this is normal, worrying or a well understood issue. They tested the suspension for everything else when under load and thought it was otherwise faultless. Can anyone explain this so I know what to say next time and or can rectify a problem?
On the road, the Midas' suspension was a little harsher than I expected over bumps, but otherwise tight and tidy (surprising really given the radius arm!). The engine sounded and felt great, if a bit fluffy, but I haven't even started to play with that yet. I'd forgotten how much I like a four speed box. My overall impression was that it felt far more vintage than I expected, but I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. However, there was one glorious moment when I braked smoothly into a small roundabout, picked a tight line and powered out of the other side in second that gave me a feel for just how nice this could be...
Any answers, comments or advice very gratefully received.